Marine water-closet



March 17, 1925.

U. G. LEE

MARINUWATER cLosET @MMM )4l-0.(

Atlas.

March 17; 1925.

U. G. LEE

MARINE WATER CLOSET s sheetssneet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1923 A Inv/enor:

March 17, 1925.

. U. G. LEE

MARINE WATER CLOS'ET 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed 001;. 3, 1923 Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT ,oi-Fica n ULYssEs G. LEE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR or ONE-HALF 'ro oTTo C. SCHULZ,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. v y

MARINE WATER-CLOSET.

Application filed October 3, 1923. Serial No. 666,402.

.To all fio/com t may concern.' i

it known that I, ULYssEs G Iinm a Citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of.

Illinois, have inventedvcertainnew and use-` ful Improvements in Marine VVater-Closets,

of which the following is a specification. 'My invention relates to improvements in water closets designed especially for mariney use, where the 'closet has frequently to be located below the water line.

of using a valve orbowl closure. for this purpose, as experience has shown that suoli valves, as shown for example in patent ofy Sell and Berger, No. 1,329,982, are not always effective, owing'to the presence in the v water' of toilet water, etc., which many times prevents the valve from closing lproperly.

I have further aimed to locate the pump vand controlling` mechanism directly vback of the bowl in such a manner as to occupy but little space and permit easy access in case repairs are needed, this being a' very desirable feature, as such water closets are usually or frequently placed in very' close quarters. i I

I have further aimed toprovide a construction which will be free from external pipes or connections other than the electrical wires, and in which the flushing mechanism and all pipes and even holding-down bolts are beneath the.y floor, all of which contribute to the production ofV a sanitary installat-ion.

IVith these and other objects in view, the invention includes the novel features of con- :struction` and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described', the nature and scope of my invention being particularly ascertained and delined by the appended claims. y

An e-inbodiinent'of my invention is illus'- trated in the accompanying drawings,l in which" Fig. 1 is a side view showing the general arrangement of water closet bowl and mechanism for flushing.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of same. Fig. 3 is a side View with one side of the 37 air being admitted on the covering caseremoved to showv the operating lever and mechanism.

Fig.v iis va rear view with one side of covering case removed, vso as` to disclosethe mechanism, andwith parts broken'away to showv the pumps in section. f

Fig.\5 is asection' on line 5-15`ofFig- Li.

Fig. 7 is a detail view. v The closetis composed of la porcelainbowl A with a platform extension A. projecting rearwardly, which platform is for supporting the flushing -mechanisin The outlet a, for the bowl extends rearwardly and then up to the under sideof the flushing mechanism to which it joins at about the center, arub- Fig. v6 is a section on line 6'-6` of Figli, `m1,

bei' packing being interposed to make a tight joint- The two superposed main castings or frames B and Gand the whole mechanism is enclosed. in a metal casingl to protect it from damage. v n p The main casting B carries the lvalve chambers for the inlet valve E and the outl'et valve F, which valvesy are of the clapper type and are pivoted on the kpivot pins G and I-I. These pins forni pivots fory thel rocker handle I which is vextended into position convenient to N the operator.` This `handle extension restson a soft bumper J `when not inoperation, and heavy spring K holds the yhandle normally yin a `downward position. Y

When the handle is lifted by manuel,

power it is restored to inoperative position y by the spring K. g This return movement is retarded and slow in its action because of an air cylinder L, the piston L of which is connected by means of linkM to' therockery handle, thus constituting a dash pot from which the air escapes through restricted port up stroke of the piston through port Z controlled by ball valve Z2. (See Fig. 7.)

Another link O connects the handle lever kto a snap switch P of the'push button type. This switch is enclosed in a 'metal` box Q y which is attached to the main frame exten.-

sion. As the switch mechanism per se forms no part of the present invention and may be -flushing mechanism is composed of of any known approved type, illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary.

This switch snaps into the closed posi lion when the handle nears the upward limit of its stroke, and snaps into the open position as it nears the lower limit.

If the water closet is located on the boat at a point below the water line, then the external pressure of water outside of the boat tends to open the valve E while the valve F closes of its own weight or from the pressure of water.

In other words, the valve E opens inwardly while the valve F opens outwardly with reference to the water pressure outside the boat.

The main frame part or casting B has an upward extension Z) cast integral which is in the form of a split ring for clamping a motor 'S in alignment with the pump shaft R. This shaft is coupled to a shaft s of motor S by means of coupling T. The shaft passes through a stuffing box r and two bladed runners or in'ipellers U and V mounted on the lower end of pump shaft. The upper runner or impeller U is separated from the lower impeller V by a thin plate W, which plate is preferably about lg thick and is clamped between castings or frame parts B and C and recessed into the casting B. This stationary plate IV is spun with a depression in the middle into which ja self lubricating bearing X is forced. The upper pump supplies water from the outside of the vessel for flushing the toilet. 'lhiswater enters through the duct Y lin the porcelain and passes upwards through inlet valve E into the chamber cl and from there into the pump through duct e. A spiral pump chamber f is cast in the underside of casting B, which spiral chamber has a discharge outlet into a rear chamber or passage g from which the water is forced into the bowl through two pipes It and c'. The bowlvhas the usual hollow rim A2 with small holes 0.2 for distributing the water evenly around the bowl.

The lower pump is for pump-ing the water and sewage out of the bowl and is always primed and ready for action due to the fact that the outlet of this pump is higher than the pump impeller, the arrangement being such that water is trapped in vthe bowl and pump chamber with no chance for leakage. This water level being higher than the pump in'meller. keeps it always sulnnerged inv water. The outlet for the lower pump chan'iber j 1s through the valve F and then downwardly through port nf. A drain cock Z is provided for drawing out the water in the cold weather when water closet is liable to freeze.

It will be observed 'from Fig. l that the lower impeller is of substantially cup shape, with the blades extending across the bottom and hence facing the bowl discharge or outlet a when the latter communicates with the pump chamber, the axis of the pump being substantially .in alignment with said bowl discharge. The blades are continued up around the sides of the impeller body and the pump chamber 7 is sufficiently large so that the blades are spaced therefrom to permit passage of sewage without obstruction.

The valves E and F are pivoted loosely on pins lGr and H. The pins G and H pass through stuffing boxes m and n and are fixed to rocker I so that 'they oscillate when rocker handle I is operated. Mounted on these pins and fastened thereto are arms G and H which press against valves E and F by the action of spring K when handle lever I is in the downward or inoperative position. The purpose of this is to insure the outlet val-ve closing and to force the inlet valve shut and hold it in that position against a pressure which varies with the height of the water outside the boat, and also the pressure due to waves.

The operation of the closet is as follows: The operator lifts the handle I untill the switch snaps and closes the circuit starting `the motor. The motor operates while the handle descends slowly, this slow action being due to air trapped in air cylinder or dash pot IJ. The lower pump pumps water out of the bowl and the upper pump pumps water in until the handle I descends' to a point where the switch snaps into an open position. When the motor stops, part of the water runs back, and also the water in the rim ofthe bowl runs down, filling the bowl to a point where the water keeps the ruimer of the lower pump submerged.

The upper pump ruimer also yruns in water trapped in t-he pump chamber between the inlet valve E and the outlet pipes and the discharge pipes it and z' which are higher than the pump chamber.

Beneath the base of the porcelain bowl are extension pipes C which extend the suction and discharge forward to a point where connections are easily made thi-'ough a convenient hatch. 'Ihese pipes are cast together in one casting which is held in position with packing between it and the porcelain, with the through bolts that hold the flushing mechanism in place. The forward end of this casting is also fastened with a single bolt D and-'a clam p lll; holffl-V ii 1' down bolts F are also screwed infn this casting.

It will also be oljiserved that if any heavy article be dropped accidentally 'into the bowl i-t will not be drawn into the pump and cause damage to the same, but will sink by gravity to the lowest point in the bowl and remain there. This feature greatly reduces the possibility of breakage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a marine closet, a pump chamber lflfl included in the outlet from said bowl, and a rotary bladed i impeller located in said chamber and ournaled to rotate about a vertical axis, said chamber. having its outlet located at a higher level than thel iinpeller.`

v2. In a marine closet, a pump chamber inl cluded in the outlet from saidy bowl, and.

a rotary pump located in said chamber, said chamber having its outlet located at a higher level than the impeller. Y

3. In a marine water closet, a closet bowl, an inlet pipe for supplying water up to the rim of the bowl and provided wit-li an inwardlyopening check valve, a centrifugal 'pump included in said inlet pipe at a level belowl the bowll rimV and check valve for keeping the pump rotor continually submerged in the water thus trapped, and means for operating the rotor.

fl. In a marine water closet, a bowl having an inlet vand an outlet provided with water traps, centrifugalpumps included in said inlet and outlet and having rotors arranged to be constantly submerged in the water in said traps, a single shaft on which said rotors are mounted, and means for driving said shaft.

5. In a marinewater closet, a bowl, a.

discharge pipe or passage connected therewith and having an outlet higher than the bottom of the bowl, said passage including a cylindrical pump chamber having an axialv inlet aii-d a peripheral discharge, and a bladed rotorfrotatably .mounted in said chamber with means for yoperating it.

6. In' a marine water closet, a Vbowl hav`y a single rotary vertical vshaft passing through both chambers, a bladed rotor carried by said shaft in each chamber, means for rotating said shaft, the outlet from the lower chamber being arranged at a higher level than the rotor therein.

S. In a marine water closet, a bowl, a frame member at the rear thereof above the bottom of the bowl and provided with inlet and outlet valve chambers havingsuitable check valves, a water supply pipe connected with the iiile; valve chamber, a discharge pipe connecte-d with the outlet valve chamber, a passage leading from said inlet valve chamber to the'upper part of the bowl, a passage leading from the bottom of the bowl to the outlet valve chamber, said passages including centrifugalpump chambers, and centrifugal pumps in said chambers with means for operating them.

9. In a nia-i'ii'ie water closet, a-z bowl, a frame member at the rear thereof above the bottom of the bowl and provided with inlet and outlet valve chambers having suitable check valves, a water supply pipe connected with the inlet valve chamber, a discharge "pipe connected with the o-utlet valve chamber, apassage leading from said inlet valve chamber to the upper part of the bowl, a

,p passage lea-ding vfrom the bottom c of the bowl to the outlet valve chamber, said passages including centrifugal pump chambers located one above the other with theiry axes in vertical'alignment, rotors located in said pump chambers, a single sha-ft by which .said rotors aie carried, and means for operating said shaft.

10.' In a marine water closet, abowlhaving a shelf portion in rear thereof, a frame comprising superposed. upper` and lowerr castings-or members having their opposed faces provided with pump chamber forming recesses, a partition member separating said recesses and clamped between said members, said upper member having inlet and outlety valve chambers disposed on opposite sides-of said 'pump chambers, and having suitable check valves, saidinlet valve chamber communicating with a source of supply and with one of the'pump chambers, and

said outlet valvev chamber communicating rwith the. other pump chamber and a dis` charge outlet, and said pump chambers being connected with the top and bottom of the bowl respectively, a shaftl extending 'through-.said pump. chambers, rotors carriedl byl said.`sliaft, and means for driving said shaft. v l i 1l. In a marine water closet, the combination with the bowl and pump mechanism for flushing the same, of an electric motor for driving the pump, va switch for cont-rolling said motor, check valves in the inlet and outlet connections, a movable controly member, connections by which the switch is closed when the control member is moved in one direction, and opened when it is moved in the other direction, and meansy 1 interposed between said member and said valves `whereby the valves are released by said first named movement and kpressed against their seats by the second named movement.

` 12; In a marine water closet, a valve scat, a. check valve cooperating therewith of the clapper type, a shaft towhich said valve is pivotally connected, flushing mechanism, lever fast on said shaft and arranged to operate said flushing mechanism, and a presser arm carried by said shaft and arranged to lbear on the checkvalve.

13. In a marine water closet, the combina tion with the bowl and pump mechanism for flushing the same, of an electric motor for drivingl the pump, a switch for controlling Cil said motor, checli valves in the inlet and outlet connections, a movable control member, connections by which the switch is closed when the control member is moved in one direction, and opened when it is moved in. the other direction, and means interposed between said member and said valves whereby the valves are released by said first named n'iovement and pressed against their seats by the second named moveinent, and. a dash pot connected to said hand controlled member for retarding the ret-urn movement thereof.

111-. In a marine water closet, the combination with the outlet therefrom 0f a centrifugal pump chamber having its intake com-v municating with said outlet and having a lateral discharge port in the periphery thereof, of a centrifugal bladed rotor having thev blades in part facing the bowl discharge and in part opposed to and spaced from the wall of said pump chamber to permit passage of sewage without obstruction.

15. In combination, a closet bowl, flushing mechanism mounted at the rear of the bowl and connected therewith, said bowl having suitable inlet and discharge passages for the flushing water and sewage terminating at the bottom of the bowl adjacent its rear end, and an extension member bolted to the bottom of the bowl and having passages cooperating with the bowl passages, said extension member projecting into accessible position adjacent the front of the bowl.

16. In combination, a closet bowl having an integral platform at the rear, flushing mechanism on said platform, inlet and outlet passages connecting said flushing mechincasso anism and bowl with water supply and sewage discharge pipes, an extension meinber beneath the bowl having passages included in said pipe connections, through bolts com-iecting both the extension member at the rear and said flushing mechanism to the bowl, and other bolts connecting said eX- tension member and the bowl adjacent the front.

17. In a marine water closet, a bowl, a

4rotary suction pump for discharging the bowl, said bowl having a depression in the outlet thereof for retaining any heavy articles accidentally dropped therein.

18. In a marine water'closet, a bowl, a discharge therefrom having a pump chamber, a rotary suction pump located in said pump chamber, said discharge having an outlet located at al higher elevation than said pump chamber, and having also a depression between the bowl and pump for retaining any solid articles accidentally dropped in the bowl.

19. In a marine water closet, the combination with the bowl and pump mechanism for flushing the same, of an electric motor for driving the pump, a switch for controlling said motor, check valves in the inlet and outlet connections,v a movable control member, connections by which the switch isv closed when the control member is moved in one direction, and opened when it is moved in the other direction, and a dash pot connected to said hand controlled member for retarding the return movement thereof.

In testimony whereof, I aliix my signature.

ULYSSES G. LEE. 

